CARL ZEISS TESSAR 144mm f/5.5

US 721,240 — CARL ZEISS / PAUL RUDOLPH (1903)

4 ELEMENTS / 3 GROUPS
f ≈ 144 mm (scaled from normalized patent)
F/5.5
2ω ≈ 60°
ALL SPHERICAL

Focus Mechanism

Unit focusing — entire lens assembly moves forward. No variable internal spacings. Front-element focusing also used on mid-range cameras (L1 moves ~⅓ the distance of unit focus due to ~2.8× power ratio).

Optical Elements (4)

ElementTypeGlass
L1Plano-Convex PositiveDense barium crown (Schott ~O.381, SK-type)
L2Biconcave NegativeDense flint (Schott ~O.163, F/SF-type)
L3Biconcave NegativeLight crown / light flint (Schott ~O.332, K/LLF-type)
L4Biconvex PositiveDense barium crown / barium flint (Schott ~O.382, SK/BaF-type)

Analysis

Detailed analysis available in the interactive viewer above.